This is yet another story of when I was young. Little did I know then though that this would be the prologue of some things to come. -HMT

I remember it all like it just happened yesterday. It was a sunny afternoon, and I was bored sitting at home. I didn't really have any money for gas to put into my '72 pickup truck, and decided I needed some exercise anyway, so I started to walk up town.

I used to do that all the time. I'd just walk forever it seemed sometimes, but I was young and full of energy. I didn't mind the walks because they let me do a lot of thinking and cleared my head. After awhile, I guess I just got used to them, especially since I never had my own vehicle until recently.

It was kind of hot, and I was already starting to sweat, as I walked through the city. That's when I saw them. Four young men about my age. Three of them were chasing a fourth and taunting him.

"We're going to get you!" Shouted one.

"You might as well stop and get it over with!" Shouted another.

"We're going to beat you up real good!" Taunted the third.

The young man they were chasing kept running undaunted into an alleyway a little ways in front of me.

"I hate bullies." I thought, mumbling it to myself, under my breath. "I hope he gets away from them." I remembered when bullies used to pick on me in grade school, and how much I hated it. If it had been three other young men chasing the guy, I might have thought that the single guy had wronged them somehow, and maybe even deserved what he was getting, but I recognized the three in pursuit as notorious bullies from my school, as they got closer to me, and went into the alleyway, not paying me any mind. They already had a target after all. The whole thing started to make me mad.

When I got to the alleyway I looked down it, hoping to see that he had escaped, but what I saw stopped me in my tracks. The alleyway had dead ended, and the three bullies had the one young man cornered against the far wall.

"How are you doing, Matt?" Asked the middle of the three mockingly. I took it he was the ring leader, especially since he was the tallest, and also looked the strongest of the three.

"O-okay, N-ned." Said the one cornered against the wall, as he started to tremble with fear.

"Told you that you weren't going to get away. We're going to beat you now, unless, of course, you got some money." Said the one on the far left.

"Yeah, let's see some money. Wait, you made us chase you. We'll probably just beat you now, and take it anyway." Said the one on the far right.

I had heard enough. It was obvious the one young man couldn't defend himself, or even make this a fair fight. It was time to even the odds.

"Hey, you creeps, over here!" I shouted as I began to walk towards them.

The three bullies turned around as Matt went to his knees, and tears began to run down his cheeks. I knew that he was to scared to be of any real help in this fight, but that didn't matter at all to me.

"Who are you?" Asked Ned.

"Yeah, what do you want?" Said the one on the far left.

"He wants a beating too!" Said the one on the far right, as he chuckled to himself.

"Why don't you guys pick on someone your own size, like me?" I asked them not even slowing down my stride.

Ned stepped forward and said, "Oh, yeah! You are a dead man! Get him boys!"

I was in striking distance now as my right hand rolled into a fist. "Heavy Metal Thunder!" I screamed and I swung as hard as I could connecting with Ned's throat.

Ned flew to the ground, grasping at his throat, and trying to catch his breath, as the one on the far right tried to make his move.

I was to quick for him though, and kicked him in the groin. As he bent over forward, I dropped my elbow on his head, and sent him sprawling to the ground, face first.

All that was left was the third one, and as soon as I took one step forward, he had decided that he had seen enough, and took off in a dead run down the way he had came.

The other two groggily recovered, and quickly followed in pursuit of their buddy, still holding themselves where I had hit them.

"Are you okay, Matt?" I asked after they disappeared, and I looked at him still on his knees.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm all right. Thank you." He said, as he got up, and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Don't mention it." I said. "It was no trouble really, and I don't think they'll mess with you again."

"Hey, man, I owe you. How about coming over to my house for a snack, and a drink? We could even play games on my computer. Come on, it'll be fun. What do you say?"

"Sure." I said. "I've been just walking around town bored anyway."

As we walked out of the alleyway, and towards his house, he asked, "How come you did that? Why risk your neck for me?"

"I don't know. Don't like bullies, or uneven fights, I guess." I said as I stopped, and pulled out a newspaper clipping from my wallet to show him. It was titled, "Vigilante Stops Bike Theft Ring."

Matt and I became good friends, but not the best of friends, however, I would visit with him from time to time. Little did I know then that he would indeed return the favor for me, but that is another story.

To be continued.

Next Chapter Three, The Computer Disk Incident, Part 1 of 3, "The Chase" Heavy Metal Thunder is being chased by armed men for a computer disk he got.